Metal-lined crate



' July 17, 1951:

c. w. SAUNDERS 2,560,989 METAL-LINED cam:

Filed Dec. 1, 1947 Patented July 17, 1951 METAL-LINED CRATE Cyril Walter Saunders, Dairycoates, land, assignor of one-half to Hull Hull," Eil'g- J Merchants Amalgamated Box Company Limited, Dairycoates, Hull, England, a British company Application December 1 In Great Britain This invention relates to boxes and crates, and particularly to those which are to be used more than once for the transport of goods such as perishable food.

Boxes and crates for the above purpose are usually made of wood and as a result it is often difiicult to make them serviceable after use due to the difliculty in cleaning out the boxes or crates. This is particularly so in the fish trade where it has been found on return that the boxes have quite often been used for discarded parts of fish with the result that not only is the box inside coated with deleterious matter, but if the boxes have been delayed in transit then there is a very great chance that grubs, maggots, and the like will have been produced. Such boxes are very difficult to clean for re-use and sometimes have to be discarded.

The object of this invention is to produce a more hygienic and more easily cleaned container for perishable goods or the like.

Accordingly a box or crate is furnished with a detachable liner-container capable of being removed easily and subjected to a degreasing and/or cleaning operation. The liner-container may be open topped and closed solely by the lid of the box or crate which may be lined.

The liner-container may be furnished with an inturned flange around its upper rim to prevent the contents from riding up the walls of the nontainer and forcing the lid of the box or container during handling or in transit. Moreover, the liner-container may be furnished with hand grips or handles and these may be integral with or cut out of the walls of the container. Furthermore, drainage holes may be furnished in the bottom of the container.

Referring now to the accompanying drawing in which embodiments of the invention are shown Fig. 1 is a part sectional perspective View of a crate with a liner-container therein;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the lid of the crate;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a modified linercontainer; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional transverse view of 1a lidded liner-container.

In a particular embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2 for fish boxes or crates, the box or crate I is made of wood, and of skeleton construction, although the whole or part of such box or crate may be of solid construction. A removable (or hinged) lid 2 is furnished for the box or crate and this may be secured down in any convenient manner. The box or crate is fur- 1947, Serial No. 789,049

December12, 1946 4 Claims. (01. 2173) tainer.

nished with the usual metallic binding strips or wires 3 to reinforce itand/or secure the lid firmly in position when in, use according to known methods.

The above box or crate is furnished with a container l which forms a liner therefor and is of open topped construction to fit neatly within the box or crate. Such liner-container can be made of aluminium, thin stainless steel, or any other suitable metal or material which will not contaminate goods placed therein and can be cleaned easily. Preferably, but not necessarily, the container is formed with rounded corners for easy cleaning purposes and a number of drain age holes 5, 6 formed in the bottom of the con- The holes 5 are at the four bottom corners and the holes 6 are in aligned rows, but may be in any other convenient position. The bottom of the box may be'grooved at l (or otherwise formed) to facilitate the drainage action to the holes 6 which lie in the drainage channels. Also, to facilitate in the removal and handling of the liner-container it may be furnished with hand grips or handles in or on, sa the end walls more or less adjacent the upper rim, although for the relatively shallow type shown they are not necessary. Such hand grips may comprise shaped portions pressed inwardly or outwardly in the walls of the container, or may comprise shaped apertures. Alternatively, hand grips or handles may be riveted or otherwise fastened on to the inside or outside of the walls of the container. The liner-container 4 is furnished with an outwardly turned flange 8 to rest on the upper edge of the crate and form a neat finish. The lid 2 is furnished with a lining 9 on its inner face to provide an easily cleaned face to contact the contents of the liner-container. The lining has upturned flanges I0 about its edges for it to be secured by, say,v nails, to the edges of the lid although it may be readily detachable. As boxes or crates of this type are often wet, the corners of the lining S are cut away at l l to facilitate drainage from between the lining and the lid.

The liner-container may be modified as shown in Fig. 3 wherein a retaining flange I2 is preferably formed around the upper rim of the container by turning its rim inwardly into a horizontal, or slightly downwardly inclined plane. Such a flange serves to tend to prevent fish or other bulk goods from riding up the walls of the container and forcing their weight against the lid of the box or crate. If this should happen there may be a tendency for the lid to be forced open particularly in transit or handling.

If desired, as shown in Fig. 4, the liner-conadvantage that after use the container can be readily removed and put through a degreasing or cleaning plant and thus rendered ready for service in a simple and inexpensive manner;

Moreover, the liner will ser've'rt'o givestrength to a box or crate which in itself'mightbe easily damaged. When the parts have'loeen' separated for service the box or crate can be repaired quickly where necessary and will be in-areasonably clean state. In any case it will not require a special cleaning operation as hitherto. More over, when fish is carried-in the liner-container itz-cannot become water soaked due- -to th'e ade quatedrainage-holes and 6: Also, the skeletoncrate shown allows free': circulation of air round-- the liner-container which is a primary deterrent to decomposition of the contents;

What Ilclaim is: 1-. A 'reusable' shippingi container for iced fish or other p'erislrablefood products adapted to bestacked.with-similar containers in transit comprisin'gla' flatlre'ctagular slotted wooden crate, a removable: open 7 topped rectangularsheetmetal inner? container" sized tofit snugly within said crate and-iforming a; reinforcingli ni'ng therefor,

said inner metal'contain'er havingdrainage open' ingskinxth'e bottom thereof, said 1 crate including" a flat lidrihavingi arrimperfor'a-te sheet metal liner which: forms a cover= forthe inner container the -lid isin closing position on th'emrate;

whereby liquid drained from the inner" metal container will run off over the outside of lower containers in a stack thereof.

2. A shipping container according to claim 1 in which the sheet metal liner for the lid of the crate: is-provided'with drainage" passages at the corners fof'the discharge of moisture from between the lid and lid liner.

3. A shipping container according to claim 1 in which the sheet metal inner container is providedwith an inturned flange extending around the-upper rim th'ereofi'to form a stop for the contents: thereof 'wh ich' tend to ride up the walls of theinri'er container, whereby to prevent lifting of the edges-of tl'ielid by the contents.

4; A reusableship-ping container as defined in claim-l-in which the sheet metal inner container is provided with drainage channels leading to the respectivedrainage openings therein to facilitate the rapid discharge of liquid from the bottom thereof;- I

CYRIIJ WALTER S'AUNDERS.

REFERENCES CITED i'ihe fol-loxzvin'g references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED, STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1001286 Green Mar. 1, 1870" wa es? Elsorr Nov; a; 1876' 199,405 Blye Jan". 22, 1878 281,374 Kivitts" Jury "17', 1883 c ae'rs' srn'ytlr' oct; 13;" 1898" 934 5 erea F b112, 1901 1,268i164 Schneider June 4,1913 ljeezgeee- Mosesi'an- Nov; 7'', 1933 2,135,956 Woodall Novl'8,"19.3"8 

